The
9th edition of EuroPCom took place on Thursday 8 and Friday 9 November 2018. With the 2019 European Parliament elections ahead and distrust in the EU still dominating national discourse and elections in the Member States, fostering democratic engagement and advocating for the European project seem to be decisive elements in 2018 for ensuring the future of the EU. This edition of EuroPCom therefore had the title "Campaigning for Europe" and provided a unique connecting platform in preparation for the election year ahead.

Over 1.100 communication professionals from all the EU Member States and beyond attended the conference to share their views at this largest event on public communication in Europe!

Episode 4: Communicating Research and Science, with Anthony Lockett

Episode 5: Disinformation and Elections, with Liz Carolin

Episode 6: How Women can Save Europe, with Indre Vareikyte

Programme

Thursday 8 November

10:30 – 12:00

(1) Opening Session

Room: Hemicycle - EP

The opening session of EuroPCom will take place in the European Parliament, kicking off the conference with inspiring stories and personal experiences on the topic of campaigning for Europe. The theme will be approached from the perspective of both the broad and strict senses of the term “campaigning”, and discussed from different angles, giving external views of how to ensure creativity and get people engaged in European projects. The debate will be enriched with contributions from experts from academia and input from the audience. Get inspired for the two days to come and share your view!

Prof Dr Claes de Vreese, Professor of political communication at University of Amsterdam @claesdevreese

Dr Susana del Rio, Political Scientist and member of the Committee of Independent Experts of the European Commission in "Democracy in a supranational context, EU Communication, Citizens, Governance" @Su_delRio

Moderator:

Florence Ranson, Founder REDComms @RansonF

12:15- 14:30

Market Place - EuroPComTalks

Room: ATRIUM 5 & 6, JDE53

​The EuroPCom Market Place is an interactive opportunity for participants to bring in their projects and ideas, to exchange experience and best practices with other participants and to learn from each other​.

Voter turnout is one of the greatest challenges of the European elections. Currently, the views of half of the European Union’s citizens are not represented in the European Parliament, as they abstain from voting. So when traditional political discourse and institutional arguments fail to inspire citizens to get out and vote, maybe it is time to look at things from a new angle. Our panelists will explore what motivations and triggers can be tapped into to encourage more people to take their right to vote more seriously.

Artificial intelligence is at the core of today’s digital targeted communication, not only in the private advertisement sector but also in political campaigning and in the preparation of elections. What are the recent developments, what conclusions can be drawn after the Cambridge Analytica affair, and does the introduction of the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) have consequences for targeted communication? AI and data experts, together with GDPR specialists, will discuss with the audience how artificial intelligence in communication has developed, what role data protection plays and how people’s privacy can be safeguarded in this context.

Giuseppe Porcaro, Head of Communication at Bruegel and author
@Porcarorama​

(4) Mobilising Generation Z

Room: JDE51

The future responsibility for safeguarding a strong Europe rests on the shoulders of the younger generations. But how can “Generation Z” be encouraged to stand up for a project that many of them may take for granted? In this workshop, speakers involved in several youth engagement projects will discuss with participants what can be done to mobilise young people and create a sense of belonging to and support for the EU. Enrich the debate with your ideas!

​Woman power has proved itself to be a forceful theme for igniting social media debate and conversation across the globe. But can communication strategies targeted at women also be employed for politics? Findings from the last presidential elections in Austria, for example, show that it was thanks to 62% of female electorate that the far-right candidate was not elected. Given that women generally respond better to positive campaigning, how can communication strategies be developed to better reach and engage with this crucial target audience? Discuss with the session's panelists how women can save Europe!

This Ideas Lab aims to gather ideas for how to motivate young people to engage both with EU institutions and in political life in general, especially in view of the upcoming European elections. How can institutional and civil society resources be pooled and used to create synergies and allow for wider outreach? How can we understand the practical needs in the field and bring together different insights on the need to cure apathy?

How can we get local media to report on European issues? How do we raise the topic of cohesion policy? How can we reach new audiences, especially with regard to the upcoming European elections? Join this session to get answers to these questions, talk with regional TV journalists and learn about new storytelling techniques, especially engaging stakeholders on the ground.

Next year’s European elections will represent a moment of truth for Europe. Brexit, populism and several national election results within and outside the EU have challenged the European idea, yet trust in the EU has cautiously reached its highest levels in recent months.

As traditional media are still a key channel for reaching out to a broad audience, part of the campaign strategy is involving journalists and determining how to make these elections attractive and, ultimately, perceived as European instead of 27 national rounds. Are the lead candidates the faces and voices we need? Or should the focus be on people’s daily lives? Is this enough, or should more be done to get the media involved in this crucial moment for the EU?

Citizens’ consultations seem to be the new trend in EU and national politics. But what role do they actually play and how can the results of these debates efficiently be translated into policies? Are they a useful tool to increase the democratic nature of a political system or just an attempt to improve the image of the organisers? The aim of this workshop is to bring together experts in the field of citizens’ consultations to openly discuss this new policy trend from different perspectives.

(10) Public institutions’ visual communication: How to unleash creativity?

Room: JDE62

The private sector consistently demonstrates more creativity and willingness to take risks in their visual communication than the public sector seems to dare. What can be done to improve the graphical strategies of public institutions? Where are the bottlenecks preventing them from taking the same creative approach that private companies do? Panelists from the institutions and private agencies will talk with the participants to find solutions for improving public institutions’ visual communications. Share your best practices and creative ideas to enhance the session!

Susanne Weber, Head of Digital Communication, Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union ​@sanneweber​

Moderator:

Daniela Vincenti, Spokesperson and Strategic Communication Adviser to the President, European Economic and Social Committee @VincentiDaniela

(11) Twitter as a campaign tool

Room: JDE53

Twitter currently boasts around 330 million monthly active users. As a communicator, you are probably one of them. But how do you use Twitter to campaign? And how do you break down complex politics into bite-sized tweets, making what you write simple to understand? With the European elections on the horizon, how is Twitter going to be used during the election campaigns? Join this mini training to get answers to all of these questions and more and improve your Twitter skills with practical exercises. Make sure you bring along your laptop, tablet or smartphone - you will need it!

Trainer:

Jon Worth, political blogger, journalist and trainer at ClearEurope @jonworth

(12) Bringing the EU closer to its citizens: working with the EU's decentralised agencies

Room: LEDRA STREET

There are over 40 decentralised EU agencies located across the Member States, working on topics that matter to Europe and the wider world. Their expertise spans many areas of life, including security, health, education, the environment and innovation. Some EU agencies feel that they could play a bigger role than they currently do in promoting the European project at large and bringing the EU closer to its citizens by leveraging their local networks as multipliers. They are keen to explore this idea and build concrete partnerships and joint projects with the participants.

The ground game approach has become increasingly integral to political campaigning. Citizens’ engagement in helping get out the vote can go a long way in terms of boosting voter participation, and is therefore considered a decisive factor in the success of the campaign. The ground game also represents one of the key communication pillars in the 2019 election strategy. But what does it actually mean? How do you reach online and offline volunteers and campaign ambassadors to create a community of supporters? And what motivates them? If you want to know more about the ground game in general and the mechanisms and messages set up for the campaign, join this workshop.​ Ground game practitioners and young online volunteers will be available to answer all these questions and more.

The European Union is often accused of being too technical and too remote from the people. So, how difficult is it to effectively communicate technical policies to the citizens? Communication experts dealing with difficult topics share their communication dos and don’ts with participants in this workshop and present how to effectively communicate technical policies at the citizens’ level. Discover how to go from heavy topics to light communication!

Tony Lockett, Head of Unit Communications, European Research Council Executive Agency @TonyLbxl

(15) Disinformation and elections: lessons learned

Room: JDE52

Disinformation is one of the main challenges that both campaigners and electorates currently face during election campaigns. During the Brexit campaign, and especially during the preparations for elections in the United States, France and Italy, the influence of international networks spreading false information to steer the voters became apparent. At the same time, more and more organisations are forming to debunk fake news and ensure the transparency of the information used in political communication. This panel will give insights on what has been developed in this context and what lessons can be learned from recent election campaigns. Join this workshop and see how to face disinformation!

If well done, videos are the eye-catching element on social media. Millions of users are reached and engaged every day with short and entertaining videos. But what needs to be taken into account when producing these short films? And how are they best used on the different platforms? This mini training session will offer a practical guide for the development and distribution of video content on social media and cover key content optimisation principles and best practices.

This Ideas Lab will reflect on the evolution of targeting in contemporary communication, in an era of communities, big data and extreme market segmentation. The PERCEIVE team will present fresh data from an ongoing research study that investigates the extent to which citizens feel European and the variables that influence it. These results will be used by participants to work on “digital personas” to bring a relevance-based approach to EU communication strategies.

​What comes to your mind when thinking about "Campaigning for Europe"? Are there more topics you would like to discuss? Themes that are not covered by the other sessions? For the first time this year, EuroPCom will provide an Open Space where the participants set the agenda. You’ll be able to join a group and discuss their topic or offer to share your knowledge with other participants. In the ​​​Open Space, it's your space and it’s all up to you! Sign up for this exciting experience and let your ideas run free!

The incredible richness of the Eurobarometer database gives a wide spectrum of possibilities. Obviously, among other things, these data can be used to increase the effectiveness of campaign projects. What are the most recent public opinion trends? And how can they materialise into a vote? This workshop brings together experts with different professional backgrounds to understand how opinions become votes and to discuss the topic from an interdisciplinary perspective.

Audiences are traditionally more interested in what happens in their regions and cities rather than in far-away places. They also find familiar faces more credible than people they never came across. What are the challenges of celebrating "the local" in a pan-European campaign? How can local stories resonate across Europe? How to run a coherent and consistent campaign based on local stories? Participate in this workshop to discuss how proximity drives interest in campaigns!

The European elections are just around the corner and the European political parties are energetically preparing their campaigns. At EuroPCom, they will share insights, discuss their strategies and guide us through their approaches to coordinating communication efforts with the national and regional levels. Attend this workshop to find out what to expect from the EU parties’ campaigns for May 2019 and – with a bit of luck – you’ll also get the latest information about this term’s lead candidates.​

Speakers:

Utta Tuttlies, Head of Communications at S&D Group in the European Parliament @UTuttlies

Thomas Hermans, Board member Campaigns & Communication at D66, The Netherlands – liaising with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group (ALDE) in the European Parliament @Thom_her

Citizens’ debates and consultations seem to be the new trend in politics as well as an attempt to ensure more bottom-up policy-making. But with their open format and variety of possible questions raised by the audience, ensuring a coherent structure can be especially challenging for the moderator. What are some tips and tricks for moderating these types of debates and for keeping a cool head? You will get answers in this mini training session so that you can support your organisation in organising their citizens’ dialogue right afterwards.

This Ideas Lab aims to discuss how to use local “heroes” as EU ambassadors at local and regional level. How can their reputation be leveraged to enhance the visibility of successful EU projects that work and that benefit the public in their daily life? As an example, firemen and rescue workers, highly respected and trusted in their communities, could improve the EU’s image by enhancing the visibility of the single emergency number 112 which saves lives. Which other projects could be used to demonstrate the added value of the EU to citizens? How could these local heroes be incentivised to become ambassadors for the European project?

The closing session will conclude the conference and sum up the insights from the different sessions. What will you take home from EuroPCom 2018? How will you be campaigning for Europe? Take part in this last session and share your experience of the conference!

With CoR Member Christophe Rouillon, ​Mayor of Coulaines​ @ch_rouillon​

​The EuroPCom Market Place is an interactive opportunity for participants to bring in their projects and ideas, to exchange experience and best practices with other participants and to learn from each other​. Projects will be set up in three camps:

The Election camp will group projects related to the European elections.

The Citizens’ camp will present projects fostering local and regional communication and engagement at citizens’ level.

The Digital camp will showcase ideas and projects in the field of digital communication, in particular apps and online tools.​

This year's conference sessions followed three main thematic clusters:

An innovative mix of well known and new formats was set up for this edition. Workshops, Ideas Labs, mini trainings, EuroPComTalks, an interactive EuroPCom Market Place and an Open Space gave participants the opportunity to make the most of their learning and networking experience at the conference.